This document provides an overview of the FAA flight delay data. This document currently reviews the 2015, 2016, and 2017 Airline Service Quality Performance (ASQP) data; 2018 data is in process.
The following table summarizes the counts of flights by carrier across the three currently available years.
| Carrier | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA | 725,984 | 914,495 | 896,348 |
| AS | 172,521 | 177,280 | 185,068 |
| B6 | 267,048 | 282,473 | 298,654 |
| DL | 875,881 | 922,746 | 923,560 |
| EV | 571,977 | 490,990 | 339,541 |
| F9 | 90,836 | 95,121 | 103,027 |
| HA | 76,272 | 76,789 | 80,172 |
| MQ | 294,632 | NA | NA |
| NK | 117,379 | 138,199 | 156,818 |
| OO | 588,353 | 605,933 | 706,527 |
| UA | 515,723 | 545,067 | 584,481 |
| US | 198,715 | NA | NA |
| VX | 61,903 | 69,121 | 70,981 |
| WN | 1,261,855 | 1,299,444 | 1,329,444 |
| Total | 5,819,079 | 5,617,658 | 5,674,621 |
The following tables summarize the variables being retained from the complete ASQP data. These tables allow for a quality assurance check on completeness and correctness of the data for each year.
The data frame has 5,819,079 rows and 46 columns.
| Variables | Class | N_unique | Min_numeric | Max_numeric | Top_factor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YEAR | numeric | 1 | 2015 | 2015 | |
| MONTH | numeric | 12 | 1 | 12 | |
| DAY_OF_WEEK | factor | 7 | 4 | ||
| FLIGHT_DATE | Date | 365 | |||
| AIRLINE_ID | factor | 14 | 19393 | ||
| CARRIER | factor | 14 | WN | ||
| FLIGHT_NUM | factor | 6952 | 469 | ||
| ORIGIN | factor | 322 | ATL | ||
| ORIGIN_CITY_NAME | factor | 309 | Chicago | ||
| DEST | factor | 322 | ATL | ||
| DEST_CITY_NAME | factor | 309 | Chicago | ||
| CRS_DEP_TIME_HR | numeric | 24 | 0 | 23 | |
| CRS_DEP_TIME_MIN | numeric | 60 | 0 | 59 | |
| DEP_TIME_HR | numeric | 26 | 0 | 24 | |
| DEP_TIME_MIN | numeric | 61 | 0 | 59 | |
| DEP_DELAY | numeric | 1218 | -82 | 1988 | |
| DEP_DELAY_MINS | numeric | 1164 | 0 | 1988 | |
| DEP_DELAY_15 | numeric | 3 | 0 | 1 | |
| DEP_DELAY_GRPS | numeric | 16 | -2 | 12 | |
| DEP_TIME_BLK | character | 19 | |||
| TAXI_OUT | numeric | 185 | 1 | 225 | |
| WHEELS_OFF | numeric | 1441 | 1 | 2400 | |
| WHEELS_ON | numeric | 1441 | 1 | 2400 | |
| TAXI_IN | numeric | 186 | 1 | 248 | |
| CRS_ARR_TIME_HR | numeric | 25 | 0 | 24 | |
| CRS_ARR_TIME_MIN | numeric | 60 | 0 | 59 | |
| ARR_TIME_HR | numeric | 26 | 0 | 24 | |
| ARR_TIME_MIN | numeric | 61 | 0 | 59 | |
| ARR_DELAY | numeric | 1241 | -87 | 1971 | |
| ARR_DELAY_MINS | numeric | 1158 | 0 | 1971 | |
| ARR_DELAY_15 | numeric | 3 | 0 | 1 | |
| ARR_DELAY_GRPS | numeric | 16 | -2 | 12 | |
| ARR_TIME_BLK | character | 19 | |||
| CANCELLED | numeric | 2 | 0 | 1 | |
| CANCELLATION_CODE | factor | 5 | B | ||
| DIVERTED | numeric | 2 | 0 | 1 | |
| CRS_ELAPSED_TIME | numeric | 551 | 18 | 718 | |
| ACTUAL_ELAPSED_TIME | numeric | 713 | 14 | 766 | |
| AIR_TIME | numeric | 676 | 7 | 690 | |
| DISTANCE | numeric | 1363 | 21 | 4983 | |
| DISTANCE_GRP | numeric | 11 | 1 | 11 | |
| CARRIER_DELAY | numeric | 1068 | 0 | 1971 | |
| WEATHER_DELAY | numeric | 633 | 0 | 1211 | |
| NAS_DELAY | numeric | 571 | 0 | 1134 | |
| SECURITY_DELAY | numeric | 155 | 0 | 573 | |
| LATE_AIRCRAFT_DELAY | numeric | 696 | 0 | 1331 |
The data frame has 5,617,658 rows and 46 columns.
| Variables | Class | N_unique | Min_numeric | Max_numeric | Top_factor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YEAR | numeric | 1 | 2016 | 2016 | |
| MONTH | numeric | 12 | 1 | 12 | |
| DAY_OF_WEEK | factor | 7 | 5 | ||
| FLIGHT_DATE | Date | 366 | |||
| AIRLINE_ID | factor | 12 | 19393 | ||
| CARRIER | factor | 12 | WN | ||
| FLIGHT_NUM | factor | 6974 | 511 | ||
| ORIGIN | factor | 313 | ATL | ||
| ORIGIN_CITY_NAME | factor | 301 | Atlanta | ||
| DEST | factor | 310 | ATL | ||
| DEST_CITY_NAME | factor | 299 | Atlanta | ||
| CRS_DEP_TIME_HR | numeric | 24 | 0 | 23 | |
| CRS_DEP_TIME_MIN | numeric | 60 | 0 | 59 | |
| DEP_TIME_HR | numeric | 26 | 0 | 24 | |
| DEP_TIME_MIN | numeric | 61 | 0 | 59 | |
| DEP_DELAY | numeric | 1339 | -204 | 2149 | |
| DEP_DELAY_MINS | numeric | 1274 | 0 | 2149 | |
| DEP_DELAY_15 | numeric | 3 | 0 | 1 | |
| DEP_DELAY_GRPS | numeric | 16 | -2 | 12 | |
| DEP_TIME_BLK | character | 19 | |||
| TAXI_OUT | numeric | 179 | 1 | 186 | |
| WHEELS_OFF | numeric | 1441 | 1 | 2400 | |
| WHEELS_ON | numeric | 1441 | 1 | 2400 | |
| TAXI_IN | numeric | 194 | 1 | 250 | |
| CRS_ARR_TIME_HR | numeric | 25 | 0 | 24 | |
| CRS_ARR_TIME_MIN | numeric | 60 | 0 | 59 | |
| ARR_TIME_HR | numeric | 26 | 0 | 24 | |
| ARR_TIME_MIN | numeric | 61 | 0 | 59 | |
| ARR_DELAY | numeric | 1388 | -152 | 2142 | |
| ARR_DELAY_MINS | numeric | 1284 | 0 | 2142 | |
| ARR_DELAY_15 | numeric | 3 | 0 | 1 | |
| ARR_DELAY_GRPS | numeric | 16 | -2 | 12 | |
| ARR_TIME_BLK | character | 19 | |||
| CANCELLED | numeric | 2 | 0 | 1 | |
| CANCELLATION_CODE | factor | 5 | B | ||
| DIVERTED | numeric | 2 | 0 | 1 | |
| CRS_ELAPSED_TIME | numeric | 576 | 5 | 705 | |
| ACTUAL_ELAPSED_TIME | numeric | 717 | 14 | 778 | |
| AIR_TIME | numeric | 693 | 4 | 723 | |
| DISTANCE | numeric | 1364 | 25 | 4983 | |
| DISTANCE_GRP | numeric | 11 | 1 | 11 | |
| CARRIER_DELAY | numeric | 1209 | 0 | 2142 | |
| WEATHER_DELAY | numeric | 690 | 0 | 1157 | |
| NAS_DELAY | numeric | 611 | 0 | 1446 | |
| SECURITY_DELAY | numeric | 174 | 0 | 474 | |
| LATE_AIRCRAFT_DELAY | numeric | 754 | 0 | 1484 |
The data frame has 5,674,621 rows and 46 columns.
| Variables | Class | N_unique | Min_numeric | Max_numeric | Top_factor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YEAR | numeric | 1 | 2017 | 2017 | |
| MONTH | numeric | 12 | 1 | 12 | |
| DAY_OF_WEEK | factor | 7 | 5 | ||
| FLIGHT_DATE | Date | 365 | |||
| AIRLINE_ID | factor | 12 | 19393 | ||
| CARRIER | factor | 12 | WN | ||
| FLIGHT_NUM | factor | 7076 | 403 | ||
| ORIGIN | factor | 320 | ATL | ||
| ORIGIN_CITY_NAME | factor | 308 | Atlanta | ||
| DEST | factor | 320 | ATL | ||
| DEST_CITY_NAME | factor | 308 | Atlanta | ||
| CRS_DEP_TIME_HR | numeric | 24 | 0 | 23 | |
| CRS_DEP_TIME_MIN | numeric | 60 | 0 | 59 | |
| DEP_TIME_HR | numeric | 26 | 0 | 24 | |
| DEP_TIME_MIN | numeric | 61 | 0 | 59 | |
| DEP_DELAY | numeric | 1496 | -234 | 2755 | |
| DEP_DELAY_MINS | numeric | 1418 | 0 | 2755 | |
| DEP_DELAY_15 | numeric | 3 | 0 | 1 | |
| DEP_DELAY_GRPS | numeric | 16 | -2 | 12 | |
| DEP_TIME_BLK | character | 19 | |||
| TAXI_OUT | numeric | 181 | 0 | 183 | |
| WHEELS_OFF | numeric | 1441 | 1 | 2400 | |
| WHEELS_ON | numeric | 1441 | 1 | 2400 | |
| TAXI_IN | numeric | 257 | 0 | 414 | |
| CRS_ARR_TIME_HR | numeric | 24 | 0 | 23 | |
| CRS_ARR_TIME_MIN | numeric | 60 | 0 | 59 | |
| ARR_TIME_HR | numeric | 26 | 0 | 24 | |
| ARR_TIME_MIN | numeric | 61 | 0 | 59 | |
| ARR_DELAY | numeric | 1510 | -238 | 2189 | |
| ARR_DELAY_MINS | numeric | 1406 | 0 | 2189 | |
| ARR_DELAY_15 | numeric | 3 | 0 | 1 | |
| ARR_DELAY_GRPS | numeric | 16 | -2 | 12 | |
| ARR_TIME_BLK | character | 19 | |||
| CANCELLED | numeric | 2 | 0 | 1 | |
| CANCELLATION_CODE | factor | 5 | B | ||
| DIVERTED | numeric | 2 | 0 | 1 | |
| CRS_ELAPSED_TIME | numeric | 583 | 1 | 718 | |
| ACTUAL_ELAPSED_TIME | numeric | 721 | 15 | 784 | |
| AIR_TIME | numeric | 689 | 7 | 712 | |
| DISTANCE | numeric | 1399 | 31 | 4983 | |
| DISTANCE_GRP | numeric | 11 | 1 | 11 | |
| CARRIER_DELAY | numeric | 1330 | 0 | 1934 | |
| WEATHER_DELAY | numeric | 813 | 0 | 1934 | |
| NAS_DELAY | numeric | 822 | 0 | 1605 | |
| SECURITY_DELAY | numeric | 192 | 0 | 827 | |
| LATE_AIRCRAFT_DELAY | numeric | 861 | 0 | 1756 |
For each year, the following visuals provide a check in the delay data provided in ASQP. For this project, we will calculate delay based on wheels-off to wheels-on compared to the scheduled departure and arrival.
Confirming:
WHEELS_OFF = DEP_TIME + TAXI_OUT
WHEELS_ON = ARR_TIME - TAXI_IN
| DEP_TIME_HR | DEP_TIME_MIN | TAXI_OUT | WHEELS_OFF | WHEELS_ON | TAXI_IN | ARR_TIME_HR | ARR_TIME_MIN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 55 | 17 | 912 | 1230 | 7 | 12 | 37 |
| 8 | 50 | 15 | 905 | 1202 | 9 | 12 | 11 |
| 8 | 53 | 15 | 908 | 1138 | 13 | 11 | 51 |
| 8 | 53 | 14 | 907 | 1159 | 19 | 12 | 18 |
| 8 | 53 | 27 | 920 | 1158 | 24 | 12 | 22 |
| 8 | 56 | 85 | 1021 | 1256 | 4 | 13 | 0 |
Scheduled time:
| CRS_DEP_TIME_HR | CRS_DEP_TIME_MIN | WHEELS_OFF | WHEELS_ON | CRS_ARR_TIME_HR | CRS_ARR_TIME_MIN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 0 | 912 | 1230 | 12 | 30 |
| 9 | 0 | 905 | 1202 | 12 | 30 |
| 9 | 0 | 908 | 1138 | 12 | 30 |
| 9 | 0 | 907 | 1159 | 12 | 30 |
| 9 | 0 | 920 | 1158 | 12 | 30 |
| 9 | 0 | 1021 | 1256 | 12 | 35 |
Questions:
WHEELS_OFF or WHEELS_ON indicate no value in input data. What reasons might lead to missing values?Data processing notes:
Additional data:
Counts of flights by month for 2015, by carrier, show the effect of the merger between AA and US Airways in 2015 (AA/US merger; Airline codes here). Other years do not show any similar breaks in count of flights by month and carrier.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AA | 44,059 | 39,835 | 45,966 | 44,770 | 44,710 | 44,360 | 81,434 | 79,748 | 73,379 | 77,290 | 73,871 | 76,562 |
| AS | 13,257 | 12,194 | 14,276 | 13,974 | 14,682 | 15,075 | 15,821 | 16,095 | 14,271 | 14,467 | 13,950 | 14,459 |
| B6 | 21,623 | 19,751 | 22,590 | 22,020 | 22,565 | 22,558 | 24,029 | 23,826 | 21,133 | 21,913 | 21,697 | 23,343 |
| DL | 64,421 | 60,884 | 74,166 | 72,170 | 74,815 | 77,255 | 80,741 | 80,947 | 72,063 | 75,552 | 72,228 | 70,639 |
| EV | 49,925 | 45,138 | 54,190 | 49,296 | 49,213 | 49,119 | 50,381 | 48,554 | 43,721 | 45,728 | 42,572 | 44,140 |
| F9 | 6,829 | 5,809 | 6,950 | 7,148 | 8,118 | 7,893 | 8,090 | 8,142 | 7,873 | 8,101 | 7,763 | 8,120 |
| HA | 6,440 | 5,779 | 6,313 | 6,093 | 6,434 | 6,677 | 6,955 | 6,901 | 6,154 | 6,242 | 6,024 | 6,260 |
| MQ | 29,900 | 26,940 | 28,146 | 25,695 | 25,431 | 25,407 | 24,750 | 23,881 | 21,202 | 21,982 | 20,305 | 20,993 |
| NK | 8,743 | 8,089 | 9,400 | 9,496 | 10,051 | 9,826 | 10,351 | 10,432 | 9,948 | 10,208 | 10,164 | 10,671 |
| OO | 48,114 | 43,989 | 50,078 | 49,329 | 49,864 | 50,307 | 52,627 | 52,730 | 47,625 | 48,808 | 47,292 | 47,590 |
| UA | 38,395 | 36,235 | 43,603 | 41,342 | 44,411 | 46,084 | 46,478 | 45,413 | 41,778 | 45,894 | 42,647 | 43,443 |
| US | 33,489 | 30,153 | 34,516 | 32,496 | 33,761 | 34,300 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VX | 4,731 | 4,223 | 4,873 | 4,915 | 5,236 | 5,260 | 5,411 | 5,688 | 5,154 | 5,464 | 5,414 | 5,534 |
| WN | 100,042 | 90,172 | 109,245 | 106,407 | 107,702 | 109,776 | 113,650 | 108,179 | 100,645 | 104,516 | 104,045 | 107,476 |